


Holding You Back

by thatnerdemryn



Series: Tumblr Prompts [31]
Category: Shadowhunters (TV)
Genre: Coda, Comfort, Episode: s02e14 The Fair Folk, Fix-It of Sorts, Fluff, Jace Wayland Plays the Piano, Kinda, Love Confessions, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-03-22
Updated: 2020-03-22
Packaged: 2021-02-28 21:34:32
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 939
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23254036
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/thatnerdemryn/pseuds/thatnerdemryn
Summary: “Bravo,” Sebastian said with a charming smile on his lips. “I had no idea I was in the company of a virtuoso,” he noted with a raise of his eyebrows. Jace had to push back the blush that was ready to form on his face. He smiled down at the keys.“Yeah, right,” Jace argued with a laugh. Jace cursed himself for letting any insecurity show.
Relationships: Jonathan Christopher Morgenstern | Sebastian Verlac/Jace Wayland
Series: Tumblr Prompts [31]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1359466
Comments: 14
Kudos: 50
Collections: Shadowhunters Fic-A-Thon 2020





	Holding You Back

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Krit](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Krit/gifts).



The sound of the piano ringing through his ears was one that used to have Jace’s heart pounding in his chest, breath stopping in his throat, and his bones aching deep inside of him. It provided comfort for him as he got older and out of the clutches of his father and he needed that comfort more than ever. He stopped when a finger slipped and hit the wrong key, frozen as he waited for the pain. When it didn’t come, he let himself breathe. The applause from the doorway startled him as he pushed back in the seat. 

“Bravo,” Sebastian said with a charming smile on his lips. “I had no idea I was in the company of a virtuoso,” he noted with a raise of his eyebrows. Jace had to push back the blush that was ready to form on his face. He smiled down at the keys. 

“Yeah, right,” Jace argued with a laugh. Jace cursed himself for letting any insecurity show. 

“No, seriously, it’s extraordinary. I mean, I wish I could play like that,” Sebastian complimented as he moved further into the room. “Where did you learn? Who taught you?” Jace let out a laugh that seemed to surprise both himself and Sebastian. 

“Valentine, if you can believe that,” Jace said with a roll of his eyes. Sebastian tilted his head in confusion and Jace suddenly wanted to tell him his whole life story. 

“Huh. I guess even an evil mastermind can appreciate fine music,” Sebastian commented. Jace felt another smile form on his lips. He shook his head and glanced back up at Sebastian. 

“Yeah, maybe a little too much,” Jace started. At Sebastians stare, he sighed and looked back down at the keys. “Whenever I would make a mistake, he’d break the offending finger, then iratze my hand and have me start again,” Jace explained. His thankfully unbroken fingers grazed across the keys in front of him as he spoke. 

“God, I, uh, I’m surprised you still play,” Sebastian said. His voice was closer and Jace tried not to jump when he felt Sebastian sit next to him on the bench. Their shoulders brushed and Jace could feel the heat radiating off of him, beckoning him closer. 

“Only when the mood strikes,” Jace said with another chuckle. It lacked the humor he was going for, the humor that usually laced his tone. 

“Is that why you’re up so early? Or, wait, did you never go to sleep?” Sebastian chided. Jace could tell he was looking at him, but he was too focused on Sebastian’s slender fingers brushing across the keys to confirm. Jace chanced a glance up at him and bit the inside of his lip before he spoke. 

“I just got back from the Hunter’s Moon,” Jace explained, unable to contain his blush at the smirk that formed on Sebastian’s lips. 

“Ah, I’m guessing you weren’t there for a pint, were you?” They both laughed and Jace could feel the ghost of Sebastian’s breath on his face. “It’s that bartender, isn’t it? The beautiful one?” Sebastian asked. Jace looked up with him with just a bit of panic in his eyes. 

“It’s nothing serious,” Jace started. Sebastian played a few notes on the keyboard, a tune Jace recognized instantly. He played a step below, matching Sebastian’s strokes key for key. He let his eyes shut and felt the music flow through him. He had never really shared this part of himself with anyone, opting to use the piano when no one was around to hear him. He didn’t mind, though, being pressed against someone else while the music echoed around them. 

“I thought you had a thing for Clary,” Sebastian said, his fingers continuing to play. Jace slammed his on the keys, ruining the sound as his eyes widened. He turned to look at Sebastian with furrowed eyebrows. 

“Clary?” Jace asked. He thought he was being obvious with his feelings toward Sebastian and Clary was the last name he expected to be spoken aloud. “Why would you say that?” Jace asked softly. 

“Well, I mean, you know…” Sebastian seemed to stumble over his words uncharacteristically, his fingers stumbling over the keys, too. Jace rested his hand on top of Sebastian's to stop him from playing and sent him a pleading glance to continue. “Now that she’s not your sister and she’s… she’s beautiful and fiery, and…” Sebastian finally looked into Jace’s eyes and wet his lips before finishing. “What is holding you back?” The question seemed fair. Clary and him, they loved each other once. But once was a long time ago in the scheme of things. He tilted his head as Sebastian and brought his hand up slowly to cup Sebastian’s cheek. 

“You,” Jace said simply. Sebastian seemed shocked as his lips parted to speak, but no words came out. Jace ran a thumb under his eye before moving his hands back to the keys. He played a somber tune, different than the one before, anything to distract him from Sebastian’s gaze. The exhaustion hit him then as his hands slowed on the keys. He leaned into Sebastian’s side as a warm arm secured itself around his waist. 

“You’re holding me back, too,” Sebastian whispered into Jace’s hair. Jace wasn’t sure what he meant, but he was too tired to linger on it. He could feel Sebastian’s lips, a gentle press against the side of his head and watched as Sebastian’s right hand floated over the keys, playing a simplified Chopin piece. As Jace’s eyes slid closed, he let the soft sounds of the piano keys finally lull him to sleep. 

**Author's Note:**

> I DIDN'T EXPECT TO ACTUALLY LIKE THEM ASKDJFAL;SDFJKAL;
> 
> I will be opening up my [Tumblr](https://archeryandeyeliner.tumblr.com/) and [Twitter](https://twitter.com/thatnerdemilyj/) to fluffy prompts like this one for the foreseeable future. 
> 
> If your looking to scream about Malec and don't know where to go, come join a super fun [Discord](https://discord.gg/8Q8yBVg)!
> 
> Kudos make me smile and comments make me weep, so please leave them!


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